For many years following their discovery, glial cells (or glia) were viewed as CNS connective tissue. In fact, the word glia is Greek for glue. However, today these cells are recognized for their role in communication within the CNS in partnership with neurons. Unlike neurons, glial cells continue to undergo cell division in adulthood and their ability to proliferate is particularly noticeable after brain injury (eg, stroke).
There are two major types of glial cells in the vertebrate nervous system: microglia and macroglia. Microglia are immune system cells; they are scavenger cells that resemble tissue macrophages and remove debris resulting from injury, infection, and disease (eg, multiple sclerosis [MS], AIDS related dementia, Parkinson disease, and Alzheimer disease). Microglia arise from macrophages outside of the nervous system and are physiologically and embryologically unrelated to other neural cell types.
There are three types of macroglia: oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, and astrocytes (Figure 1). Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells are involved in myelin formation around axons in the CNS and peripheral nervous system, respectively. Astrocytes, which are found throughout the brain, are further subdivided into two groups. Fibrous astrocytes, which contain many intermediate filaments, are found primarily in white matter. Protoplasmic astrocytes are found in gray matter and have a granular cytoplasm. Both types of astrocytes send processes to blood vessels, where they induce capillaries to form the tight junctions making up the blood–brain barrier. They also send processes that envelop synapses and the surface of nerve cells. Protoplasmic astrocytes have a membrane potential that varies with the external K+ concentration but do not generate propagated potentials. They produce substances that are tropic to neurons, and they help maintain the appropriate concentration of ions and neurotransmitters by taking up K+ and the neurotransmitters glutamate and γ-aminobutyrate (GABA).
Fig1. The principal types of macroglia in the nervous system. A) Oligodendrocytes are small with relatively few processes. Those in the white matter provide myelin, and those in the gray matter support neurons. B) Schwann cells provide myelin to the peripheral nervous system. Each cell forms a segment of myelin sheath about 1 mm long; the sheath assumes its form as the inner tongue of the Schwann cell turns around the axon several times, wrapping in concentric layers. Intervals between segments of myelin are the nodes of Ranvier. C) Astrocytes are the most common glia in the CNS and are characterized by their starlike shape. They contact both capillaries and neurons and are thought to have a nutritive function. They are also involved in forming the blood–brain barrier. (Reproduced with permission from Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM, Siegelbaum SA, Hudspeth AJ (editors): Principles of Neural Science, 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2013.)
